2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great book with a unique voice!, April 26, 2009
This review is from: Destroy All Cars (Hardcover)
Ok, this book totally rocked my world. I kept cracking up over and over again. I loved being inside of 11th grader James Hoff's world, listening to his rants and watching him pine over several girls. His observations about the world were just too good. This was definitely my kind of book. I felt like I was sort of laughing at how extreme he was but at the same time kind of got him. While he was obviously a lot of talk and not a lot of action I loved where he was coming from and would love to have a friend like that.
While I loved James rants and sort of easier said than done thoughts about the world I could see how he might get on other people's nerves. I really liked the way the book was written, how it was a mix of James rants, journal entries, and conversations with other people. There is an especially insightful essay about nature towards the end of the book which I really liked. I also liked the different relationships he explores with a few girls throughout the book. It was definitely harder for him to be Mr. Tough Guy when he was around Sadie his ex-girlfriend.
It was nice to see how James kind of mellowed out and found a place where he belonged towards the end of the book instead of trying to stand out from everyone as much as he could towards the beginning of the book. I'll definitely be checking out some of author Blake Nelson's other work!
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Explain to me, please, how cutting the elbows off your sweaters helps the environment., April 14, 2011
This review is from: Destroy All Cars (Hardcover)
Let me just preface this book by saying that I read a lot of Children's / Young Adult literature and nine times out of ten I love the book. But Destroy All Cars was that one out of ten.
I read this book for a Children's Lit class for our week's topic of Social Activism. Naturally, I was roped in by James' first explosive essay about destroying cars, fixing the environment, and not being oblivious "CONSUMER AMERICANS" (his use of all-caps, not mine). Buuuuut then it just went downhill from there.
The rest of the book is just James being whiny about how he hates ex-girlfriend Sadie, but really he wants her back. His biggest beef with her is that she's not doing enough to save the world, that all of her activist causes are just bandaid solutions -- a canned food drive is not going to solve world hunger, a bike path isn't going to help the polar bears, etc.
Oh yeah, James? Well, last I checked, ranting to your English teacher doesn't do much to save the environment either...
James is just as shallow as everyone else he so vehemently denounces. His only contributions to saving the world are wearing vintage clothing and refusing to let his dad buy him a car. [Hypocritically, however, Mr. I Hate Cars is really annoyed once after school when none of his friends with cars can drive him home so he has to take the bus.] Oh...he also gets signatures for a petition to save a local pond but the only reason he does that is to hook up with Sadie again. Go activism! In his spare time, James frequents the mall with his friends and thinks that he is superior to everyone else because he realizes everyone else is just a CONSUMER AMERICAN.
Get over yourself, James.
If you want to read a book about a teen who tries to save the world AND ACTUALLY TRIES TO LIVE WHAT HE PREACHES, I suggest The Gospel According to Larry (by Janet Tashjian). Granted, TGAL gets a little unbelievable (U2 comes into save the day, "Larry" becomes a national sensation, etc.), but I think that the main character's attempts to adhere to his own principles is a better call to activism than James simply calling the rest of us "lazy-ass Americans" but then doing nothing about it himself.
DAC seems to forget what it started out trying to do. At the end of the book, it's just some typical high school love drama, and then James goes off and works on this website that rants at people to save the world. But still, you can preach all you want, but until you live it, I'm not convinced.
I give this book a D- for completely losing the interesting but inflammatory tone it began with and turning into stereotypical teenage drivel.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Endearing, Funny, Coming-of-age, Young Adult Story, June 17, 2009
This review is from: Destroy All Cars (Hardcover)
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Can a book be too funny? I would have said no until I read or made several attempts to read DESTROY ALL CARS. I made two attempts to read the book at night. Both times, I woke my husband up from laughing so hard. So I put book away until one night I knew he'd be up late. I made it three-quarters of the way through before I realized there was no way I was going to be able to go to bed after reading this book. It was making me too excited for nighttime use.
I ended up completing this book in the afternoon. That's a great time for a pick-me-up. I never knew how I felt about the main character, James Hoff, a junior in high school. He definitely had a negative outlook, but the way he expressed it on paper had me doubling over in laughter. The reader got to know him through essays he submitted to is English teacher, Mr. Cogweiller as well as his journal entries.
James is all against Consumer Americans. He believes if we do away with all personally owned vehicles, we could save our planet. There is more going on with James though. He is trying to find his way, but it's pretty hard.
DESTROY ALL CARS is his coming-of-age story. It's endearing, hilarious, and a must read book!
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